Forget the overwhelming consensus that the government shutdown and debt crisis both amounted to a political pratfall for Republicans. According to the leader of a top tea party outfit, the GOP actually displayed its brilliance throughout the debacle.

The article, published by the website Marginal Revolution, posits that “Republicans convinced some of their opponents that they are crazy and irresponsible, without actually being crazy (though they were irresponsible, but that is the whole point).”

“Look where we stand,” Tyler Cowen, the author of the piece, wrote. “In real terms government spending has been falling. Sequestration appears to be permanent, or it will be negotiated away by Republicans in return for preferred changes in tax and spending policy. Leading Democratic intellectuals are talking about future fiscal bargains with no new taxes. The American public polls as increasingly conservative.”

Recent polls have been pretty grim for Republicans, with nearly all showing that the American public blamed the GOP for the dual crises. The showdown over the budget and debt ceiling also created a divide on the right, something that Kibbe addressed Friday.

In an interview with CSPAN, he said it’s a “real possibility” that the GOP will be split into two factions.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tom Kludt is a reporter for Talking Points Memo based in New York City, covering media and national affairs. Originally from South Dakota, Tom joined TPM as an intern in late-2011 and became a staff member during the 2012 election. He can be reached at tom@talkingpointsmemo.com.